By Frank Giles The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo, held Aug. 17-18, in North Fort Myers drew growers from across Florida and beyond. Citrus growers in attendance were eager for information on HLB treatments. Rick Dantzler, chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), spoke during the general session educational seminars and provided an update on products …
Scouting Below the Ground Critical in Florida Citrus
By Frank Giles Florida citrus growers faced another challenging season in 2022. Continuing impacts from HLB and inflated input prices forced some growers to scale back their production programs. According to Kendra McCorkle, an agronomic service representative for Syngenta, some growers had to make hard economic decisions. “This past season with spikes (in expenses) across everything, especially fertilizer and fuel, …
U.S. and Florida Farmland Values on the Rise
By Frank Giles The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service has released its 2022 Land Values Summary. The annual report shows agricultural property increased year-over-year following other trends in inflation. The United States farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $3,800 per acre for 2022, up $420 …
Rubio: Bill to Reduce OJ Brix Blocked
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on Aug. 4 said Senate Democrats blocked a bill Rubio introduced that would have resulted in lowering the Brix level of not-from-concentrate orange juice (NFC OJ). That bill would have directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take the Brix-lowering action. Rubio had introduced the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act (S. 4394), …
Recognizing Leadership in a Critical Time
By Peter Chaires It is hard to believe that it has been eight years since Brian Scully returned to Florida as lab director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida. Scully was certainly no stranger to Florida or its citrus industry at the time of his return. However, he accepted the USDA position at …
Florida Citrus Crop Decline Continues
By Frank Giles The final U.S. citrus forecast of the 2021–22 season, released July 12, bumped up the estimate a bit from June forecast. Florida’s all-orange forecast rose 1%, to 40.95 million boxes, due to a slight increase in non-Valencia orange production and a 1% increase in expected Valencia orange production. However, the crop was the smallest since the 1942-43 …
Improving Soil Health for Citrus Production
By Tacy Callies In an effort to keep HLB-infected citrus trees productive, many Florida growers are turning to techniques aimed at improving soil health and nutrition. This was the subject of a recent seminar hosted by citrus grower Ed James and sponsored by Sand to Soil Services. More than 30 growers of citrus and other crops gathered at James’ grove …
Carlson Receives Citrus Achievement Award during Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference
By Frank Giles Citrus growers and industry stakeholders gathered in Bonita Springs last week for the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference. After being sidelined the previous two years due to COVID-19, the conference drew a record crowd of more than 500 registered attendees. The event, hosted by Florida Citrus Mutual, was packed with educational programming and meetings for various …
Citrus Achievement Award Winner Kristen Carlson Crafting a Way Forward
By Frank Giles Since HLB was first confirmed in Florida more than 15 years ago, the state’s citrus crop has been on a steady decline. This season is set to finish with historically low production. Every segment of the industry has felt the pain of HLB’s endemic march. On the one hand, it is easy to understand why some would …
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